At least five members of the Rutgers wrestling team’s lineup
spent last year’s matches at the Louis Brown Athletic Center on the
sideline.

“I was there last year on the sidelines itching, itching to get out
on the mat,” said redshirt freshman Anthony Volpe. “Now I just want
to get out there, wrestle in front of the home crowd and show
Rutgers University what I can do.”

Volpe and four other wrestlers fresh off redshirt years return to
the RAC tonight to face Old Dominion, and most of them occupy a
weight class where head coach Scott Goodale is quick to say the
Scarlet Knights need improvement.

Goodale knows what to expect out of seniors Billy Ashnault and Dan
Rinaldi, and juniors Mario Mason, Scott Winston and Gregory
Zannetti. And while he acknowledges his wrestlers at the 125, 133,
157, 184 and heavyweight weight classes are mostly in the lineup
for the first time, he still wants more.

That includes Volpe, the youngest of the bunch who had a pin fall
in last weekend’s 2-1 showing at the Northeast Duals with a loss to
20th-ranked Donnie Corby of Central Michigan. He will be tested
again tonight against No. 15 John Nicholson.

“I think we probably put more [expectations on Volpe] than what’s
necessary, but that’s where our program’s at,” Goodale said of his
157-pounder. “We expect him to be very good. We expect him to be
fighting for a spot on the podium. That’s why we recruited him.
It’s to excel, and expectations are high. I think of him like I
think of Greg Zannetti, Dan Rinaldi and guys like that.”

Zannetti draws Old Dominion’s only other ranked wrestler in
ninth-ranked 174-pounder Te Edwards. Along with 149-pound Mario
Mason, Zannetti is one of two unbeaten wrestlers on Rutgers’ roster
after four bouts.

He won his bracket at the Brockport-Oklahoma Gold Classic with a
decision against Jimmy Sheptock of Maryland, and then took
Sheptock’s place as the 16th-ranked 174-pounder in the nation. But
Edwards presents his biggest test to date.

The Arizona State transfer and NCAA qualifier already beat a pair
of ranked opponents, including then-No. 7 Chris Spangler in an
upset of Iowa State.

While Zannetti prefers to ignore the rankings, his coach does
not.

“It’s a great opportunity for him,” Goodale said. “Greg has a great
opportunity, and I look forward to that match for sure.”

It marks Zannetti’s first match at the RAC since he wrestled at 165
pounds two years ago in a dual-meet victory against Virginia.

Ashnault and sophomore Daniel Seidenberg also wrestled in that
match, but Seidenberg’s 184-pound class is now with some
uncertainty for Goodale.

“We have some young guys in the lineup,” Goodale said. “Vinny
Dellefave has been with us three years, but [the Northeast Duals
were] his first dual meet in a big spot. Dan Hopkins is a
fifth-year guy, but DJ [Russo had] been there. Anthony Volpe, as
good as he is coming out of high school, it’s his first time in a
big spot. Danny Seidenberg’s never been in our lineup. We have to
start believing we can win those close matches.”

Goodale expects those close matches to occur against an Old
Dominion team that last wrestled Nov. 20 against Iowa State and
arrives in Piscataway off what Goodale likened to a bye week.

“It will be highly contested with a lot of tossups,” he said. “I
like those matches.”